Blog, Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community [Paperback]

Joy Deangdeelert Cho (Author), Meg Mateo Ilasco (Editor), Grace Bonney (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 19, 2012

With roughly 95,000 blogs launched worldwide every 24 hours (BlogPulse), making a fledgling site stand out isn't easy. This authoritative handbook gives creative hopefuls a leg up. Joy Cho, of the award-winning Oh Joy!, offers expert advice on starting and growing a blog, from design and finance to overcoming blogger's block, attracting readers, and more. With a foreword from Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge plus expert interviews, this book will fine-tune what the next generation of bloggers shares with the world.

Learn how to: - Design your site
- Choose the right platform
- Attract a fan base
- Finance your blog
- Maintain work/life balance
- Manage comments
- Find content inspiration
- Overcome blogger's block
- Choose the right ads
- Develop a voice
- Protect your work
- Create a media kit
- Leverage your social network
- Take better photographs
- Set up an affiliate program
- Partner with sponsors
- Build community
- Go full-time with your blog
- And more!

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 19, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1452107203
• ISBN-13: 978-1452107202
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Computers & Technology > Web Development & Design > Web Services
  • #4 in Books > Computers & Technology > Internet & Web Culture > Blogging & Blogs
  • #19 in Books > Computers & Technology > Web Development & Design > Web Design

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Blog, Inc. really reads like an inspiring conversation with a great friend who is offering you her best advice over a good cup of coffee. Packed with insights for everyone from seasoned bloggers to those just starting out, Joy offers wisdom on how to create community while translating your passions into an inspiring online presence."
-Sarah Walker, The Curated House blog

"This book will be your new best friend and number-one resource-a true modern-day business school for blogging! Joy's advice, tips, and personal blog insight is phenomenal!"
- Erica Domesek, P.S. I Made This...

"If the physical world of blogging is about fostering a sense of community, then Blog, Inc. is its new manifesto."
-The Glitter Guide

"If starting a blog was like embarking on a safari expedition, Joy Cho is the knowledgeable tour guide we'd want by our side."
-Taylor Combs, Martha Stewart Living

"Good for both newbies and those who want to take their site to the next level."
- Dorkys Ramos, Dry As Toast blog

About the Author

Joy Deangdeelert Cho is a graphic designer, blogger, food enthusiast, and coauthor of Creative, Inc. She worked with numerous fashion clients in New York before launching her own design business and beloved blog, Oh Joy!, in 2005. In addition to running her blog, she now designs textiles, packaging, and branding for clients in the fashion and food industries, consults other creative businesses through her Rx program, and has a product line of stationery and wallpaper. Joy lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and three cats.

Grace Bonney is the creator of Design*Sponge, the award-winning home and product design Web site. She founded the Design*Sponge Biz Ladies series, a traveling event designed to connect women running their own design-based businesses. Grace lives in Brooklyn.

Meg Mateo Ilasco is a designer, illustrator, and writer. A serial entrepreneur, she launched her first business in 1999, and is the author of three books on the topic: Craft, Inc., Creative, Inc., and Mom, Inc. Meg lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 19, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1452107203
• ISBN-13: 978-1452107202
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Computers & Technology > Web Development & Design > Web Services
  • #4 in Books > Computers & Technology > Internet & Web Culture > Blogging & Blogs
  • #19 in Books > Computers & Technology > Web Development & Design > Web Design

More About the Author

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Credible, helpful resource for new and seasoned bloggers! September 21, 2012

By Bridget Forney

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I thought that Blog, Inc. was going to be a self-promotional book about Joy's blog mostly, like you see so many bloggers do these days. I could not have been more wrong. I was a skeptic and found that this book is actually an extremely credible, accurate and helpful resource for anyone trying to break into the blogging community, or for bloggers who have been in the blogging ecosystem for years. I have been a (mostly) silent, but ever-fascinated, observer of the blogging community at large. I have started and stopped blogs of my own but will be reinvigorating a new blogging venture in the coming weeks and was curious about this book.

This book not only provides personal interviews with some of the most successful bloggers on the Internet today, but it also offers helpful tips that will either spark an idea for a blog post or spark some further thinking on something you may have thought about before but never fully explored. If nothing else, reading this book will fill you with a new desire to better commit to the blog you started out of love in the first place!

I was expecting a book that wouldn't tell me anything I didn't know already. What I got was a book that gave me a fresh perspective on some of the things I thought I already knew. Knowing that Joy is a hugely successful blogger, her years of experience and successes only add to the credibility of each page. I am enjoying this and thrill myself everytime I write a note in the margins for a blog post idea...which is about every page.

Highly recommend.

(Disclosure: I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this review and I purchased the book myself through Amazon.com.)

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Re-energized about blogging after reading! October 1, 2012

By CCallahan

Format:Paperback

As a small business owner of a stationery and invitations company, I struggle to keep up with my blog and wonder if I am really reaching my customers through this medium. Joy's book, Blog Inc., provided me with tips and easy-to-follow steps to re-energize my blog with more personal information showing readers a "behind the scenes" sneak peek at my work and daily life. I learned blogging and traffic basics, when and how to reach out to sponsors and how to connect in the blogging community. The stories from successful bloggers were inspirational and it is good to know that they too started off with zero comments on their blog.

A highly-informative, quick read for anyone interested in the wonderful world of blogging for their business or personal use!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tackles the topics every blogger craves advice on! October 9, 2012

By Anna @ IHOD

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I ordered Joy Cho's book, I was expecting it to be geared towards the beginner level of blogging. However, I devoured that book from front to back, and I soon realized it is both for the starter and the pro. I was taking notes the whole way through. She offers some very practical tips on everything from the start of naming your blog to making it a full time business.

I love how organized and easy the book flows.Other topics she tackles: Blogging Etiquette, Social Networking, SEO, and What to Charge for Sponsorship. These are topics that are hard to find facts and realistic tips on, and every blogger needs guidance with at some point in their experience.

In between chapters there are fantastic Q & A's with successful bloggers that I really enjoyed. Very honest, helpful, and inspiring perspective on their blog journey. It's the best all in one resource for both aspiring bloggers and experience bloggers alike! When I get emails with questions about different aspects of blogging, I will now direct them straight to Joy's book! :)

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of money December 22, 2012

By @steelmagnolias3

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was recommended this book by a successful blog I follow. I have a little blog and would like to get more readers, so when she recommended this book, I bought it immediately. It starts out good, easy to read, well written, gives inserts of other bloggers and their "testimony." But, I quickly realized there were no real tips or advice. It would say, I talked to so-and-so, and they had great advice or such-and-such was really helpful. But the book never told you any advice or gave out those helpful hints.
If you want to start a blog and have no idea in the whole wide world where to start (go to Blogger.com) this book might be a jumping off point for you. If your blog is up and you are blogging, then you have surpassed what this book can deliver to you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent & Organized Advice about Blogging November 13, 2012

By eLIZabeth Floyd

Format:Paperback

As a blogger for over five years, I picked this book up hoping to find some hints on how to improve my blog. This book turned out to be especially helpful in many ways. I really resonated with the main premise presented at the beginning of the book, that blogs are wonderful platforms to share your passion of a subject and see what others think about it.

With a blog, you have the opportunity to create a supportive and interactive community, and this book shares advice about how to go about building this community and reaching out to others. Information is presented on basic topics like which platform to choose, things to consider when updating your blog's design, and how to turn it into a business. I found the interviews of established bloggers to be the most inspirational aspect of the book. The bloggers shared their experiences and thoughts about the practice of blogging, offering nuggets of wisdom that cross over genres and subjects. I kept a notebook beside me during the whole time I read this book because of all the good ideas.

Even if your goal is not to become a full-time blogger, this book has a lot to offer and I encourage you to check it out.